This was the first Zelda game, originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in August 1987. The first in the series, it represented a breakthrough in the role-playing genre as a whole. For the first time, players could fight tons of enemies in real time with a sword and a vast array of weapons. Much later the game was playable as a classic edition on the GBA, via the Collector's Edition on the GCN and also on the Wii by downloading it from the Virtual Console Channel.

In "The Legend of Zelda", Ganon's army has invaded Hyrule and and stolen the Triforce of Power. Zelda, fearing Ganon's wicked rule, split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight fragments, and hid these in eight Underworld labyrinths. At the same time, she sent her nursemaid Impa to search Hyrule for a man with enough courage to destroy Ganon. Hearing of this, Ganon became enraged, kidnapped Zelda, and sent his minions to find Impa. Impa was pursued and finally surrounded by the monsters, but before they could hurt her, a young lad named Link appeared and skillfully drove them off.

Impa begged Link, a young adventurer, to defeat Ganon and save Princess Zelda. To do this he would need to travel to the eight labyrinths and unite the Triforce of Wisdom, in order to enter Ganon's lair in Death Mountain.